Happily Halloween Ever After
by writersblock24
Summary: Ranger and Stephanie enjoy the holiday together. Babe HEA.


I kind of threw this together, so pardon all the mistakes.

Happy Halloween!

Not mine.

* * *

"What are you doing, Babe?" Ranger asked, coming over to me. I was on the fire escape of my apartment.

"Just thinking."

"About?" He sat down next to me.

"Life."

"That's a lot to be thinking about." He noticed the bottle of beer in one hand and my phone in the other.

"I'm sorry I ignored your calls. I just wanted to be alone."

Ranger took the bottle and phone from my hands and put them inside the window. "You've got some big things on your mind."

I just nodded.

"Anything you want to share?" He asked.

I sighed. "Is this the right life for me?"

"What?"

"Is this the right life? Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing?"

"Explain."

"All my life, I was taught that I was supposed to grow up, get married, have kids and make my husband dinner. Where did I go wrong and stopped thinking like that? Isn't that what I was supposed to do?"

"You are supposed to be you, Babe. That's what you're supposed to be doing."

"Joe was the man everyone thought I was going to marry. That I was going to finally settle down with and stop making such a commotion in the Burg. But when we broke up…everyone just kind of gave up on me. I was never going to get remarried and have kids. I was the black sheep of the entire neighborhood."

"Nothing wrong with that." He said.

Sure, this coming from the epitome of black sheep.

We sat there in silence.

"Is there something wrong with me?" I whispered.

He didn't say anything at first, but just brought me into his chest. Finally, he spoke. "There is nothing wrong with you. Nothing. They were trying to put you into a hole that you didn't fit in to. If you had become the docile little creatures that your mom and Val became, you wouldn't be the woman I love."

I looked up at him and felt my mouth drop open. Did he mean... He chuckled.

"Yes, Stephanie Plum, I love you. No qualifiers, no innuendos, nothing. Just with all the love in my heart. Nothing will ever stop me from loving you. Except when you stop being you."

I smiled. "I love you too." I whispered. And I did. Somewhere along the way, my heart had decided that Ranger was my one. The love of my existence.

He kissed me softly. "What brought this on, Babe?"

I pointed out to all the kids trick-or-treating. "That." I said.

"The kids?"

I nodded. "It made me think, what If I was missing something. Not taking my kids out trick-or-treating."

He looked at me. "You want one? Because the offer still stands."

I cuddled into his chest. And with a smile, I said, "someday."

**5 years later…**

The doorbell rang and I waddled to it. "My! What a scary witch you are!" I said to the little girl who couldn't be more than four years old.

"Trick or treat!" She said, a big smile on her face.

"Pick whatever you want, sweetheart."

She stuck her hand in and pulled out one of each.

"Hey, leave some for the rest of the kids." My husband said as he walked up the steps.

"Come on, Carlos, its just candy. And we have enough to feed a small army."

"Babe, she's got a whole pumpkin full already."

"That's half the fun! Walking around and getting candy."

"Next year it'll be you enjoying the fun."

"Then who's going to take care of this?" I rubbed my swollen stomach.

"You can't doge it forever. Trick or treating was how we got into this in the first place." He smiled widely at me. "Eventually you're going to experience the wonders of taking your kids out trick or treating."

"Mommy! Look at the loot I have!" Christina said, holding her plastic pumpkin high enough for me to see.

"Wow, that's great!" Ranger came around and hugged me. "You're excited to use your new scanner, aren't you?" I asked him.

"Uh huh." He said, kissing my neck. "And I'm excited to see you. What are you supposed to be, exactly?"

"A blimp. I'm huge."

"You're not huge. You're pregnant with our twin boys. You're beautiful."

"You're just saying that to get into my pants."

"Is it working?"

"Like a charm." I smiled wide at him.

"Enjoying your someday?"

"Every minute."


End file.
